US Senator Richard Blumenthal has expressed concerns over the merger of the US-based PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf, stating that Saudi Arabia’s control of a “cherished American institution” poses risks. As a result, he will investigate the matter.
The PGA Tour recently announced an agreement to merge its commercial businesses with LIV Golf, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
“Critics have cast such Saudi investments in sports as a means of “sportswashing” — an attempt to soften the country’s image around the world — given Saudi Arabia’s deeply disturbing human rights record at home and abroad,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to the PGA Tour.
Related: In Shocking Turn Of Events PGA Tour Agrees To Merge With Rival LIV Golf
According to The Financial Times, a letter from Blumenthal has been received amidst the PGA Tour-LIV merger facing intense scrutiny and doubts on completion due to the severity of prior claims in the golf leagues’ previous litigation against each other.
The Saudi government has been accused of human rights violations, including the alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The merger was criticized by 9/11 Families United, a group representing victims’ families, because of Saudi Arabia’s involvement. Blumenthal has supported the families in the past, including when the 9/11 Justice group protested an event at a golf course owned by former President Donald Trump.
